Since Epcot opened in 1982, the Palais du Cinéma building has screened Impressions de France every single day. This continuous run has earned the attraction a Guinness World Record for the longest running daily screening of a film in the same theater. The film provides guests with a tour of the French countryside, major cities, and important structures, narrated by Claude Gobet.
The film is projected onto five adjacent screens providing 200° coverage. This creates a curved screen that stretches so wide that the edges reach the peripheral vision of the average person. Visitors can view aerial and close-up shots of the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, the French Alps, Versailles, Cannes, Notre-Dame de Paris, and Normandy.
Written and co-produced by two-time Academy Award nominee Bob Rogers and directed by Rick Harper, the film features a musical score written and arranged by Buddy Baker. Baker conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios for the score, which features music from French composers such as Claude Debussy and Camille Saint-Saëns. The soundtrack was recorded digitally with a Sony prototype recorder, making Impressions de France the first movie with a digital soundtrack from beginning to end.
As of January 17, 2020, the Palais du Cinéma began alternating screenings between Impressions de France and a Beauty and the Beast sing-along. This schedule change marks a shift in the daily programming for the historic attraction.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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